Knitting-loom



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J K BRADLEY. KNITTING LOOM.

No. 538,653. Patented May 7, 1895.

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KNITTING LOOM. v No. 538.653. Patented May 7,- 1895.

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JOHN BRADLEY, OF OHELM SFORD," MASSACHUSETTS.

KNITTING-LOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 538,653, dated May 7, 1895. Application filed April 10, 1894. Serial a. 506,987. no an.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, J OHN BRADLEY, of North Ohelmsford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting- Looms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to machines for producing warp-and-weft fabrics by the knitting process; and it has for its object the production of improved means for laying in the warp and weft threads, so that the Web may closely resemble a fabric produced upon an ordinary loom employing harness to control the warps and a shuttle and lay to put in the weft. To these ends theinvention consists of the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings and to the letters marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same letters designating the same parts or features, as the case may be, wherever they occur.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved knitting-loom. Fig.2 is a vertical central sectional view of the same. Fig.

3 is a detail view, in front elevation, showing the manner of laying in the weft-thread and of guiding and controlling the warps. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the upper portion of What is shown in Fig. 3.

In the drawings-a designates the bed or frame of the machine. 7

bis the needle head supported upon a'strap, 0, connected at its ends with the bed, and adapted to turn on the bolt, (1, connected at its lower end to the said strap and extending centrally through the-head.

e are spring-beard needles carried by the head in the usual-way so that ordinary knitting may be performed thereon as the head is rotated with the co-operation of a yarnguide, f, stitch-wheel, g, resser-wheel, h, and other essential contrivances.

The head, I), is provided on its lower edge with bevel gear-teeth, 'i, which may be intogral with the head or form a part of a gear attached to the bottom of the head, which gear-teeth are engaged by the teeth of a bevel gear, j, secured to the driving shaft, It. By this means the head is adapted to be rotated.

l designates a revoluble Warp carrier having bearings on the bed, a, and provided in its lower part with bevel teeth m, which are engaged by the teeth of the bevel gear, 71, on the driving shaft, k.

The teeth of the gears, 42, and, j, agree in number as do also the teeth, 71, and, m, so that the head and warp-carrier will be moved in exact unison.

The warp-carrier is equipped with a number of spools, o, carrying threads in number equal to the number of needles in the head, which warp threads are led from their spools through guide-ways, p q, (formed in the vertical cylinder, 7', forming an integral part. of the warp-carrier) beneath a tension ring, 8, through guide notches, t, formed in the upper edge of the cylinder, .r, between the nee- 'dles,'and into the fabric longitudinally thereof. There is a warp thread extending between each two needles. 1

Between the cylinder, 1', and the head, 6, there is a space, and in this space and attached to the stationary bed of the machine there is arranged a weft-guide and warpraiser a, extending to or slightly above the tops of the needles, and guiding a thread, 1;, led up through a hole in the bed, a, and through the space between the cylinder, 7*, and head, in such manner as to lay said thread, o, on or over the tops of the needles behind the warp threads, w, and in front of the stitches in the hooks of the needles, formed from the regular knitting thread, m. The weft-guide,'u, is so constructed that it raises the warp threads slightly at the tops of the needles so that the weft thread may be laid in, as described.

'y' designates a warp depressor arranged in the space between the carrier and head, I). It is attached to the stationary bed of the machine and located in the vicinity ofthe stitchforming mechanism, as shown in Fig. 1. Its function is to depress the warp threads below and past the stitch wheel. Otherwise, the warp threads become entangled with the stitch-wheel.

y designates the ordinary push back arranged to crowd the stitches down upon the stems of the needles with the weft thread lying behind the same as shown in Fig. 1.

z is the clearing wheel having the usual ICU warp thread so as to bind the warp threadsto the regularly knitted body, and so as to draw the regular knitted loops between the warp threads and behind the weft thread, gives to the face of the ,fabricantappearanee: which, to other than a highly skilled expert,

has the appearance of a regularly woven cloth formed by the process of weaving.

Having thus explainedthe nature of the inventionand described away of constructing and using the same, though without attempting to set forth all of the formsyin which it may .bemadeor allof .the modes of its use, itis declared that what is claimed is- 1. A knitting loom comprising in its construction a knitting mechanism adapted to form aregular knitted web, Warp-guides .for guiding the warp .threadsbetween the needles, andacombinednwarp raiserand ,weft guide having a part to raisethewarp threads above theneedles and a slot to guide a weft thread beneath the warp threads and between the warpthreadsand the loops of the knitted thread.

2. Aknitting loom comprising in its construction a knitting mechanism adapted to form a regular knitted (web, warp. guides for guiding warp threads between the needles, and a combined warp raiseryand weft guide extending between the warp threadsandthe needles, andhavingapart to raise the warp threads andaslot to lay the weft thread behind thewarp threads and back of the regular knitted loops.

3. A knitting loom .comprising in ,its construction a rotary head and its needles, and

co-operating spring beard -needle knitting mechanismfor forming a regularlyknitted web, a warp carrier and independent means formoving itin unison with the head, anda combined weft-guide and warp-raiser arranged between the head andcarrier having a part to raise the warp thread above the needles and a slot to guide aweft thread beneath the warp threads and betweenthe warp threads and the loops of the knitted thread, substantially as and forthe purpose described.

4. A spring-beard needle knitting loom com prising in its constructiona head and its needles, and means for rotating the head, and cooperating knitting mechanism for forming a regularly knitted web, a warp carrier independent of said head and means for moving it, and a combined warp-raiser and weft-guide having a part to raise the warp threads above the needles and a slot to guide a weft thread beneath the warp threads and between the warp threads and the loops of the knitted threads, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5,. Ina springbeard knitting loom, the combination of a needle cylinder, a warp carrier surrounding said cylinder and in the same horizontal plane therewith, and independent means for rotating said cylinder andcarrier, said carrierbeingproyided ,withan-upwardly extending flange provided witlra thread tension device and notches to guide the warp thread, substantially as and for the purpose described.

The combinatiomw th herot yh of the Warp-carrier revoluble around the head, independent means for, moving the head and carrierin unison, and a stationary weft-guide and warp raiser extending upward between the head and carrierand having a partprojecting above the needles, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

17. In a knitting loom in combination, a rotary headandits needles and complemental stitch-forming mechanism, an independently revoluble warpcarrier, a weft guide and warp raiser having a part proj ecting above the neodlesanda weftguiding slot and a warp depressor.

8. In a knitting loom, in combinatioma rotary head, arevoluble warp-carrier, independentmeans for moving the head and carrier, complementalstitch-forming mechanism comprising a stitchwheeha twejftjguide, and a stationary warp-depressor Elocated between the head and carriennear the stitch-wheel to guide the warp threads below, and clear of the stitch-wheel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 

